Dementia-friendly community concept pondered in Qualicum Beach

Melanie Young wants to make Qualicum Beach one of Canada’s most Dementia-Friendly Community (DFC).

Young spoke to town council Monday in advance of a seminar, touting the benefits of DFCs around the world, particularly in Bruges, Belgium.

A registered nurse and general manager of The Gardens — which she stressed she wasn’t representing at the time — Young said that dementia affects one in 20 people over the age of 65. That’s particularly important in Qualicum Beach she said, with the country’s oldest population, where 47 per cent are over age 65.

The key at this stage is to increase awareness and start a conversation about DFCs, she said. There will be the perfect opportunity to do that at the dementia seminar on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4:30 p.m. at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre.

The event will include four renowned speakers: executive director of Alzheimer’s Disease International, Marc Wortman from the Netherlands; Elena and Nico Bins who were key in making Bruges “arguably the most dementia friendly city in the world,” Young said; and Qualicum Beach’s own renowned dementia expert and gerontology PhD candidate Laura Booi.

For more information on the seminar e-mail Young at qualicumcares@gmail.com or call 250-947-5147.

• Watch for the Qualicum Beach Fire Department and other emergency service volunteers collecting for their annual Christmas food and toy drive in your neighbourhood this weekend (Nov. 21-22). Leave a bag with donations on your front step if you will not be home. Call the fire hall at 250-752-6232 for more information.

• Qualicum Beach town council is ready to start streaming their meetings live online. Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Sailland told council during Monday night’s regular meeting that they were streaming it as a test and hoped to be posting the meeting video on the town website (www.qualicumbeach.com) soon.

• Council encourages residents to check out the first public draft of the Waterfront Master Plan at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. There will be a final presentation on consultant SNC-Lavalin’s Phase 1 report and a presentation from town staff on the upcoming Phase 2.

• Council passed four housekeeping motions related to the Heritage Forest Commission brought forward by liaison Coun. Neil Horner. Council directed staff to work with the commission on dealing with a precarious branch hanging over a trail, a crackdown on dumping, providing cedar bark mulch for the trails and a look at what neighbouring properties can do.